DK betters its voter turnout over last poll figures

With 77.90% (77.91% according to secretariat of the Election Commission of India) of the total 17,24,460 voters casting their votes on Thursday, Dakshina Kannada district slightly improved on its previous best polling.

In the 16th Lok Sabha elections, the district had registered 77.19% polling (It was 74.46% polling in 2009 Lok Sabha elections).

As in the previous hustings, women voters (6,89,693) outnumbered men (6,53,655). Of the total 17,24,566 voters in the district, 13,43,378 voters (77.90%) have exercised their franchise.

Many polling officials said the food, which was prepared in Indira Canteen and served to them, was below average.

Tea and coffe in the morning and evening was served in polling booths with a strength above 50 polling personnel.

There was conflict and animosity in polling booths where polling officials remained unresponsive to voters.

At one polling booth, a young voter, who had come by the special train, to vote was sent back after he failed to produce an original document to prove his identity. The photocopies of the Aadhaar card was flatly rejected as polling agents watched helplessly.

At many booths, polling officials jokingly applied the indelible ink on the fingers of children, much to their glee, as their mothers voted freely.

The district witnessed a healthy polling because of the sanctity esposed on the responsibility of voting.

Voting before last rites

At one booth in Mahakali Padpu, a woman stepped in with teary eyes. The woman before casting her vote revealed to polling officials that her mother had passed away and the cremation rituals were delayed by an hour to help her cast her vote before 6 pm.